Simple Things
by TreepeltA113
Summary: A collection of one-shots about the little things in life. When Astrid loses her loved one, Hiccup must make up for the absence.
1. Fireflies

**A/N: OK, this is the first in a series of little stories I've come up with about life on Berk. Some are pre-Green Death, some are post-Green Death. I have to give some credit to the one-shot creators of the tales of Berk and such for inspiring me. However, these stories are completely original and are each based on a song. Read and enjoy!**

Fireflies

_Thunk. Thunk._

Hiccup sat up in a tangle of blankets, startled out of his restless sleep. "Whuzzuh?"

_Thunk. Raawrrr._

"Oh." Hiccup rubbed his face with one hand. "Hang on bud, I'm coming."

_Grawwwr._

Hiccup brought his foot and his stump over the edge of the bed. Toothless continued to knock at the door with ever-increasing urgency. Hiccup tried to tie on his prosthetic as fast as he could. "I said I'm coming!" he hissed at the door. The thumping stopped, and Hiccup limped to the door and opened it.

Toothless was behind the door, watching Hiccup with bright green eyes. He shifted in place and whined impatiently, nearly invisible in the dark house. The coals from the fire barely glowed, reflecting in Toothless' shining orbs of jade.

Hiccup yawned. "OK, I'm up. Let's go." Toothless bounded to the door and scratched at the wood. "Toothless! Be quiet! Do you want Dad to wake up?"

Toothless shied away from the door, and his ears drooped. But he immediately began shifting in place again and growling.

"All right, all right. We're going."

Five minutes later, Hiccup was leaning against a large boulder in the old cove. He tapped his fingers against his arm, sighed, and called out, "Are you done yet?"

Toothless responded with a chirp and climbed over the top of the rock. He hung his head upside-down in front of Hiccup's face. "I'll take that as a yes. Can we go back now?" Hiccup stifled another yawn and shivered. The night air was bitterly cold, and Hiccup hadn't planned on going so far away from the village. His fur vest didn't fit over his harness, and a simple tunic was weak protection against the breeze. Toothless jumped off the rock and pushed his head up against Hiccup's frozen hands. He stroked his black scales for a minute, and then moved to leap onto his back. "Wait, hang on," he said to Toothless, stumping over to the lake. He might as well bring some water back. The streams were iced all over Berk, and this pool was the only water source other than the well that wasn't frozen solid. Hiccup pulled a waterskin from Toothless' saddle and struggled to kneel down by the water's edge. His leg refused to bend like a normal foot would have, and Hiccup felt another pang at losing such an insignificant thing that he had taken for granted.

He uncapped the skin and dipped it into the part of the pond that wasn't encased in ice, filling it to the brim. Toothless prowled over next to him, watching over Hiccup's shoulder. He brought his tail around, splashing the red fin in the water and up onto the shore.

"Toothless!"

Hiccup's prosthetic was drenched in icy lake water. It began to turn white as the water froze the metal parts of his fake leg. "Aw, come on…" If he couldn't fly, it would take an hour of tramping through wild forest to get to his house. Toothless looked at Hiccup curiously.

"Just…just leave me alone for a minute, all right!" Hiccup scooted over, away from Toothless. First the middle-of-the-night-accident, now this…what next? Toothless peered at Hiccup, hunched over, and hung his head. He could tell that he was upset, and that he had done something wrong. All he could do was watch miserably from afar.

Hiccup tossed a rock into the water and cursed his bad luck. The reflection of the moon rippled and shattered as the stone disrupted the surface of the water. Something else gleamed in the disturbance, but Hiccup was too frustrated to see what it was. Then another popped up. And another. And another.

Hiccup's head shot up. He could hardly believe his eyes. Dancing over the lake were thousands, millions, of tiny glowing lights. They looked like little lanterns, bobbing and weaving among themselves. Fireflies.

The pair stared, awed, as the fireflies drew nearer over the water. They were mirrored in the lake and appeared as fuzzy dots in the ice. Toothless warbled and reached his nose out to inspect the nearest bug. It alighted on his scales, and Hiccup laughed as Toothless went cross-eyed trying to see it. A bug landed on Hiccup's hand, and he held it up, marveling at the minute preciseness of the legs and wings. It was afire with a yellow, buttery glow that stained his hand, making it look otherworldly. The firefly buzzed away, swinging back and forth in the air. Underneath all of the little creatures was a dot of light, a single teardrop that slid over the ground in time with its partner. Hiccup reached out with a single hand and closed it around a small firefly, seeing it make his fingers pulse with light. It was a magical moment, one that made everything move slower and time stretch until the moon hardly seemed to be moving with the night.

Then, one by one, the fireflies began to move away, soaring up and over their heads and out of the cove. Hiccup released the one in his hand, and it flapped away to join its siblings in their midnight flight. Hiccup was surprised to find himself getting misty eyes as they disappeared over the mossy walls. He glanced at Toothless, who was watching the flies with longing curiosity. Then they locked eyes.

"Oh, Toothless." Hiccup slid back over to his friend and hugged him. "Sorry for getting mad at you."

Toothless wrapped a wing around Hiccup and crooned. "Imagine if we had still been asleep, huh, bud? We would have missed the whole thing."

Toothless shook his head in agreement. They sat in each other's embrace for a while longer, tracing the moon as it journeyed to the horizon.

Hiccup touched his prosthetic. It was wet from Toothless' warmth, all of the ice melted. "What do you say we go back?"

**So, there's that. I've got a couple more up my sleeve, and if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Please review and tell me what you thought, even if you have nothing but garbage to say. I use that garbage!:) Gonna go upload some more of this now...**


	2. Reflections

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while; I've had a crazy last couple of days! So here's the next one, it's not as good as the last one in my opinion, but I hope you'll still read it and review! Thanks for all your support and comments on this and my other stories!**

Reflections

Hiccup stared down into the water and sighed. He wiped at the scar on his chin, wishing it gone, and slumping when he saw that it was still there. He just hated how he looked. His teeth were misshapen, his ears too small, his hair too unruly. He wished he looked something more like the hero he wanted to be, the hero he was hiding behind in the ring. The only place he could take off his mask was here in the cove, where it was just him and his friend. _Who is that in there? A boy or a man? Something in between? I don't know who I am anymore._

A fish broke the surface of the water and broke up the image of Hiccup's face. Shards of brown, green and pink fluttered in the dying rays of the sun. Hiccup reflected on his exhausting Training that had taken place that morning. It was not the actual Training that had worn him out; taming a Nadder was simple. No, it was the attentionthat he garnered when he performed miraculous feats in the ring that took their toll. Hiccup hardly got any rest from the constant admiration

_If I acted like I really am, then everyone would give up on me entirely. A dreamer and a fake. That's what I am._

Hiccup heard purring, and looked back in the lake to see Toothless' head behind his in the settling water. Hiccup laughed. They were positioned in a way that made them look like one entity with two faces. Toothless perked up his ear-like appendages and laughed as well, an echoing growl that managed to seem sweet and menacing at the same time. Hiccup dipped a finger in the pond, and circles emitted from his touch, growing bigger and bigger as they traveled to the far shore. The pair's reflections rippled; Toothless seemed to grow extra ears and then lose them, Hiccup's eyes widening and narrowing. They burst into a fit of giggles as they saw the warping of their faces. A ray of sun split through the trees and added a splash of gold into the mix.

Hiccup splashed his hand in the cool liquid, and this time their reflections shattered and merged into a mess of colors. Hiccup fancied that there was only one person in the water instead of two. Then it hit him.

_Toothless and I are entwined. Closer than anything anyone has ever seen. We are inseparable. Toothless and I are one. _

The water flickered between Toothless' green eyes and Hiccup's hazel ones. Hiccup's skin was black; the dragon's pale as light. As the boy lifted his hand to touch his own nose, which had become flat, Toothless raised his wing. They saw Hiccup's fingers elongate into thin ribs, webbed with night.

The water became flat and still. Toothless tucked his wing back in, and Hiccup lowered his arm. It was getting late. "I have to go, bud." Toothless moaned and nudged Hiccup's arm. "I know. I'll be back tomorrow."

It hurt worse every time to leave the cove and return back to the barbaric life of a Viking. Hiccup could hardly stand talking about killing dragons around the fire at night. But today had been different. Hiccup was not alone when he left to endure another day of Dragon Training, nor when he had to take shortcuts to avoid the others. Toothless lived inside of him, a vital part that kept him alive every day.

He crept into the hall unnoticed and snatched a plate of food before he could become noticed. As he left, however, Hiccup saw Astrid watching him with narrowed blue eyes.

_Let her stare._

Hiccup spent his night, finally alone, on the tower overlooking Gobber's forge. Vikings milled around below, the activity growing slower and slower, until the only ones awake were Hiccup and a few watchmen patrolling the village. The fire on the tower cast a faint glow over the churning sea below, a flash of orange. It reminded Hiccup of the previous events.

_When will I get to be who I really am? _


	3. Bad Dreams

**A/N: OK, here's number three. It's not based on a song, because I am seriously running out of ideas. I had this whole thing planned out, and then...BOOM. So, if you have suggestions, I would be happy to hear them! Please R&R and have fun reading!**

Bad Dreams

_The Green Death snarled in the gray air, twisting and turning to see its enemy. Hiccup could barely make it out through the clouds. Toothless whirled underneath him, blasting another glob of fire at its wings. The purple flash lit up every detail on Toothless' saddle in ghostly sharpness. The growl that the Green Death let loose shook Hiccup's very soul, making it tremble inside of him. Then came the fire: the vast, hungry waves of fire that licked at the pair's heels. Hiccup smelled the pungent smoke of the tail catching fire and looked back._

_Now they would carry out the rest of his plan…only Hiccup didn't say what he had said before. "Let's see if this works."…that was what he had to say…but this was not the real world. Toothless began to fall, heavy as a stone. For a moment, it was the first time they had flown, falling towards the sea. Toothless squawked, looking around wildly for Hiccup, who wasn't in the saddle any more. The Green Death bellowed behind them. Hiccup could smell the acrid smoke of its flammable gas. The crushing heat of the seconds where his leg had been seared off…_

"AAAAHHH!"

Hiccup sat bolt upright, gasping for air. The flashes were lightning again. The thunder replaced the Green Death's ripping roars. Toothless' head was tucked under his arm, which lay hanging over the bed. He looked up at Hiccup and warbled, looking worried.

Hiccup fell back against his pillow, feeling cold sweat on his face. It had just been a dream…Toothless was all right. He was all right. He had to be. His leg throbbed where he no longer had one, pulsing with his increased heartbeat.

"T…Toothless…" he panted. The dragon licked him on the face, telling him that everything was OK. Hiccup felt down to his feet and winced. The stump of his leg was hot and inflamed. It was acting up again, as it always did under pressure. Toothless nudged his arm again.

"It's OK, bud," Hiccup whispered, swinging his legs out of bed. He reached for the bucket of cold water he kept near his bed. It was just out of reach, and Toothless pushed it forward with his nose. "Thanks, Toothless." Hiccup submerged his leg and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Toothless curled up next to Hiccup, and they sat there in the pouring rain, listening to the thunder. A dart of pain blasted up Hiccup's leg, and he moaned, doubling over. Involuntary tears of pain made their way down his face. "Ohhhh…"

Toothless pushed his face against Hiccup's. He felt something else damp on Toothless' scales, and thought that he had dripped on him. But, as Hiccup pulled away, he saw shining tracks on his dragon's own face. Toothless was crying. He snuffled, seeming to not be able to get close enough to Hiccup. He embraced Toothless' warm neck and buried his face in the blackness, grateful for something to hold on to. To hang on to his sanity.

"Why, Toothless? Why?" He clenched his muscles as another tremor wracked his body. "I can't do this." A ripple went through Toothless' neck as he hummed. The rain pounded on the door to the house, oblivious to the pain and hurt.

Taking a breath, Hiccup released Toothless but kept in contact with his friend. He thought of the village. The Vikings that needed a strong leader. He thought of Gobber, missing hand and foot, and never complaining. He thought of Astrid.

_I _can_ do this. I have to do this. _Hiccup pulled his leg out of the water and touched it. It still hurt, but it felt better than before. Hiccup exhaled again. "I can do this." He said it aloud, to steel himself. Toothless cocked his ears at the noise and made a questioning chirp. Hiccup heaved himself out of bed and onto the floor, lying down next to Toothless. The Night Fury settled next to him and wrapped his tail around Hiccup, tenting a wing over him to keep out the rainy chill.

"'Night, bud."


	4. Trust

**A/N: Yeah, that took a while...yeah, I'm sorry...and, again, this is not based on a song. But I promise that the next one will be. I've got a pretty good one coming up. (Who likes Taylor Swift?) In the meantime, here's the latest Simple Thing! And, by the way, I loved seeing thirty-two e-mails in my inbox last week, six of which were reviews, one was Facebook, one was NaNoWriMo, and the rest was goodness! Thanks for supporting me!**

**Enough of me, now on with the story!**

Trust

Hiccup had expected it to be a normal flight.

Of course, he had expected a lot of things in life. Becoming a Viking, killing a dragon, getting discovered that he hadn't actually killed a dragon, breaking under the pressure of keeping a secret, leaving Berk when the secret got too big, dying while defeating a giant dragon, and, of course, keeping all of his limbs.

So, consequently, Hiccup had learned not to expect too much anymore.

They were out for a daily soar over the ocean, as Hiccup and Toothless were wont to do in the morning. It helped Toothless warm up for the day, and it strengthened their relationship just being together. However, just as Hiccup had gotten used to the cold air rushing past his face, Toothless pulled a fast one on him and dove under the waves.

Hiccup, shivering and flinging water off of his face, said, "Thanks, bud."

Toothless snorted. _Don't mention it._

They flew in harmony for a while, the cold gray sea rushing beneath them and lighter silver clouds overhead. The Isle of Berk looked just as ashy and desolate, the drab sun barely providing light or warmth. In short, it was a beautiful winter day.

"So…" Hiccup thought for a minute. "Where to today?"

Toothless cocked his head.

"The cove? We haven't been in a few days…"

Flap of the ears.

"No? How 'bout the pillars—you know, the big rock ones?"

Toothless regarded him with one bright, narrowed eye.

"Fine, you decide."

Growling happily, the dragon took a sharp curve that nearly threw him out of his seat. "Toothless—agh!" The thumping of the black wings made it hard to get control again. "Slow _down, _bud! We have all morning to…wait a minute."

Hiccup saw the signs. A roiling, grumbling mass of ink-black clouds on the horizon, fast approaching.

"Oh, no. Not today, bud."

Toothless continued flying.

"Toothless?" Hiccup rested a hand on the neck of his friend. He shook it off and looked back at him reproachfully.

_Trust me._

He increased his speed, aiming for the brewing thunderstorm on the horizon. Hiccup clenched the saddle so tightly that his knuckles shone white. A bolt of lightning crossed the heavens, and Hiccup had a flashback from the book he had read so long ago: _The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself._

Toothless was probably feeling right at home.

A ruffle passed over the waves as a gust of wind swept towards them. Hiccup tightened his straps, making sure they were secure. He was getting a bad feeling in his gut.

The wind hit them just before the rain did.

Hiccup gasped as the air was torn from his lungs. Toothless snorted and lost control for a brief moment. The rain felt like hail, pelting his face with the force of a thousand grains of sand. He was soaked almost instantly.

"Toothless, I hope you know what you're dooiiiiiinnnnnggg!" Hiccup yelled as Toothless shot upwards in the high pressure that followed the wind.

It was a nightmare. Bolts of lightning tore the air around them as the sky grew darker and darker. The rain was so loud in his ears that Hiccup found it difficult to form any thought other than _Oh, gods, oh, gods, oh, gods…_ His dragon flew erratically, making his stomach do somersaults and flips. He feared for the flimsy replacement tail that surely couldn't withstand the might of Thor.

It must have been hours of mind-battering stormy weather before the bashing began to lessen. A small ray of sunlight hit Hiccup for the first time since they had plunged into the thunderstorm, and soon, they were clear of the iron-gray clouds. He sat up, shook water out of his hair and gasped. "Toothless…that was the most fun I've had in months!"

Toothless snorted. _I told you._

Hiccup rubbed his friend's neck. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you," he said, with a slight hint of sarcasm.

_I love you, too._

**Awww, I like that one...second favorite to Bad Dreams. If you have prompts or song lyrics, I'd love to hear them! Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	5. Sparks Fly

**A/N: I have explained myself on the story "Taking Sides," but it bears repeating: I am a despicable human being! You all supported me so much, and it really helped me through my GIANT case of writer's block. This story has a bit of a fuzzy background, and I don't quite know what happened myself, so don't bother asking. A short and sweet one-shot between Hiccup and Astrid, so gimme some good feedback!**

Sparks Fly

Hiccup peered cautiously into the monumental crack in the side of the cove. Moonlight did not enter here, but beyond the entrance, silver radiance flooded the pond and the figure that sat next to it.

He looked behind him. Toothless' breathing seemed unnaturally loud in the midnight silence. "Let me take care of this, bud," Hiccup whispered. The black dragon whined but stayed where he was.

Being careful and alert, handicapped as he was, Hiccup descended to the bottom of the cove. There was a heavy, wet feeling in the air that spoke of rain, and through his boots, Hiccup could feel how sticky the grass was in the humidity.

He came up behind the boulder and hesitated. "Astrid?"

She turned her head, not enough to see him, but enough to acknowledge his presence. "Hey." She scrubbed at her face, though Hiccup could tell she tried not to. He pulled himself on the rock next to her.

"Astrid," he said, after a pause, "I'm sorry about your dad." He winced at how lame the words sounded.

"Don't be," she said immediately. "Nobody knew what he was doing, anyway."

A few solitary raindrops pattered on the lake, visible only for a few seconds before the moon disappeared behind a thick, black cloud.

"How old were you when your mom died?" Astrid blurted.

Hiccup was taken by surprise. "Six or seven, I think."

Astrid wiped at her face again. "Do you remember her?"

"Umm…kind of. I have memories of her tucking me in and things like that."

The rain began to fall harder. Astrid slid off of the rock and paced back and forth across the damp dirt. "It's just not _fair! _We barely knew them and now—now—"

She threw a punch at the rock Hiccup was sitting on, shoulders trembling with a sob.

"Astrid!" Hiccup leaped off and grabbed her forearms. "Astrid, look at me." She met his eyes reluctantly. "You're gonna be all right. You've got your mom still, and Stormfly, and the rest of the gang. You'll be all right."

He pulled Astrid into a hug, and where she normally would have shrugged him off, she held him tightly. "It'll be all right," he repeated. Around them, the light faded away and was replaced by the ticking of raindrops.

Finally, she drew her head back and smiled weakly. Hiccup grinned back, wishing he could do more to take away the pain.

"You know what I love about you?" she murmured.

"What? My ability to look stupid enough to make you laugh?" he guessed.

Her smile became more sincere. "Besides that."

Hiccup shrugged.

"It's cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile."

Then she moved in closer, and her lips stopped his sarcastic reply from leaving his mouth. Rivulets of water dripped down their faces, and Hiccup and Astrid kissed, oblivious to the pouring rain.

And, for a fleeting moment, everything was perfect.


End file.
